42
Click.
It was quite some time later when Soo-cheol came out of the room where Shango was. As soon as he exited, he removed his mask and gloves, discarded them in the trash, and headed to the bathroom, saying he would wash up first.
Set and Yeon Ji-ho, who had already finished tidying up and were sitting in the living room, waited for Soo-cheol to return.
“Ji-ho.”
“Yes.”
“Are you… acquainted with that person?”
Ah.
Ji-ho realized he hadn’t given Set any explanation about Shango due to the urgency of the situation. He slowly nodded and began to speak.
“You’ve met Uncle Seon-rok before, right? That’s his husband.”
“…Husband?”
Set’s eyes widened at the mention of his husband. It made sense, as marriage between two men was impossible under Astera Imperial law.
“Uncle Seon-rok is an omega, and Uncle Soo-cheol is an alpha.”
“Omega and alpha… Does that mean men can marry each other here?”
“Well, no. In Korea, marriage is possible regardless of gender. I heard that in the United States, the genders that can marry are determined by each state, but in Korea, the law changed a while back.”
It had been over 40 years since it became possible for betas of the same gender to marry. Recently, marriages between alphas, omegas, or opposite-sex betas, as well as same-sex beta marriages, had become common.
Of course, having children was a different matter, but legally registering a marriage was possible.
“Marriage… I see.”
Set, deep in thought, slowly nodded. Just then, Soo-cheol came out of the bathroom.
“What? Ji-ho, are you getting married?”
“What? No, that’s not it. Set was curious… Oh, there are no alphas or omegas where Set comes from.”
“Is that so? What an interesting place.”
Soo-cheol tried to appear nonchalant, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Set even as he sat on the sofa. He seemed intrigued by the fact that Set was from another world, being as much of a fantasy enthusiast as Ji-ho.
“Then I’m the first alpha you’ve met.”
“That is correct.”
“…?”
Soo-cheol blinked in confusion. Ji-ho quickly interjected to explain.
“I’m sorry, Uncle. Set was a duke in his original world, so his way of speaking is a bit…”
“Ah, I see. If he’s a duke, that makes sense.”
Soo-cheol was at least 10 years older than Ji-ho and naturally older than Set as well. Fortunately, Soo-cheol wasn’t particularly sensitive about etiquette.
“Let’s talk about the patient first. Shango, was it?”
“Yes. Is his condition very bad?”
“By the time I examined him, his fever was already coming down. It seems his self-healing ability is somewhat different from people here.”
Soo-cheol added that he was administering an IV drip and that there was no need to worry too much. Ji-ho bowed his head, and Set, who had been listening to the explanation, nodded in acknowledgment.
“Of course, we can’t be completely at ease. If he really is from another world, his body structure might be different from ours. It’s similar to examining an alien.”
“Then when will it be okay for him to move around?”
“Let’s wait a bit more and leave after he’s fully recovered. Oh, you’re planning to leave again, right?”
The answer came from Ji-ho before Set could respond. He nodded with clear eyes.
“We have unfinished business, so we need to go back.”
There were Apophis and Isquis left behind there. Not just them, but also the Gorgon’s beasts they hadn’t met yet.
Ji-ho no longer viewed them as mere supporting characters in a novel. As he had promised Isquis, he intended to bring them all, including those two, to this side.
“I see. …What kind of place is it?”
“Well, it’s more ordinary than you might think. Except for monsters appearing and magic existing, it’s kind of like medieval Western times.”
“I’m envious… I’d like to go there too.”
Soo-cheol genuinely envied Ji-ho. It was a natural reaction, as everyone had dreamed of such things happening to them when reading fantasy novels as children.
Seeing Soo-cheol’s sincere envy, Ji-ho hesitantly asked him as well.
“…Would you like to come with us?”
“No, I can’t. Not with Seon-rok here.”
Even though he tried to hide it, most of Soo-cheol’s daily life revolved around Seon-rok. As he firmly declined, Ji-ho nodded, saying he had expected as much.
Taking advantage of the pause, Set joined the conversation. He gently lifted Ji-ho’s thigh and said,
“More importantly, doctor, Ji-ho injured his leg too.”
“What?! Ji-ho, you’re injured too?!”
“It’s almost healed! Look, there’s not even a scar!”
Ji-ho, caught off guard by the sudden revelation of his injury, hurriedly lowered his leg from Set’s knee. However, Soo-cheol, who had already heard about the situation from Set, began examining Ji-ho’s thigh with a serious expression.
Fortunately, thanks to the healing potion’s effect, the thigh was now completely healed without a single scar. Soo-cheol, who had been closely examining the thigh, let out a small exclamation and muttered,
“You were injured just the day before yesterday, and it’s already healed like this.”
“Yes, it seems their healing methods are more focused on external injuries rather than internal ones. Thanks to the healing potion.”
“I really want to go there…”
Finally, after receiving a clean bill of health from Soo-cheol, Ji-ho’s thigh was freed. Nevertheless, Set still frowned with concern.
“So, Ji-ho, you’ll be staying here for a while too.”
“Yes. Oh, thank you for taking care of my vegetable garden while I was away.”
“Ah. Speaking of that garden…”
Ding dong, ding dong…
The house doorbell interrupted Soo-cheol’s words. As Ji-ho ran to the intercom, a familiar face appeared at the door. Soo-cheol, who was peeking at the intercom next to him, clicked his tongue briefly and said,
“Tsk, I told him not to come.”
It was Seon-rok, who had come unable to wait any longer. Although Soo-cheol frowned as if annoyed, he was already gathering his bag that he had put down. As he seemed about to leave, Ji-ho followed him outside.
Outside, they could see Seon-rok waving his hands vigorously from afar. Soo-cheol approached him with a faint smile, pretending not to care.
“Why did you come?”
“I waited for so long, and you didn’t come! What’s going on? Who’s the patient this time? Oh, you frustrating man. Tell me quickly!”
“Give me time to speak before asking.”
As Seon-rok and Soo-cheol exchanged words comfortably as they always did, Set’s gaze deepened. He silently observed the couple, who now looked unmistakably married to anyone watching.
Ji-ho, watching them, whispered quietly to Set.
“They’re not fighting. When they leave, they always hold hands.”
“Ah… I see.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Soo-cheol firmly grasped Seon-rok’s hand. This silenced Seon-rok, who had been chattering enthusiastically. As the heated atmosphere momentarily subsided, Ji-ho stepped in.
“I’ll eat lunch separately today, Uncle Seon-rok. It’s difficult to go out because we have a patient.”
“Oh, okay. Ah, that foreign friend I saw before is here too! I just noticed!”
Seon-rok waved his hand towards Set, whom he had now met twice. Set nodded in response.
“Wow, this friend is really tall. Even taller than you, an alpha? Is it because he’s a foreigner?”
“Well…”
Soo-cheol shrugged his shoulders, pretending not to know the reason. Ji-ho expressed his gratitude with a small smile in his eyes.
Seon-rok, the shortest among them, looked at Set with envy before suddenly snapping his index finger and thumb together. With wide eyes, he turned to Ji-ho and said,
“That’s right, that’s right! Ji-ho! I can’t believe I forgot. Someone was looking for you while you were gone.”
“Looking for me? …Who?”
“You know, the son of the fruit shop owner at the intersection over there. The one who lived next door when you were young.”
Young, next door, fruit shop, son. Despite receiving several keywords, Ji-ho couldn’t remember anything. As Ji-ho blinked, Seon-rok smiled brightly and said,
“You know, that son just came back from Seoul. He’ll be here for a while. So Young-chun asked if you’d be interested in a blind date?”
“What?”
The sudden mention of a blind date made Ji-ho’s heart sink. He unconsciously glanced at Set beside him.
“Ha, haha. Uncle, why suddenly a blind date?”
“Come on, that son is an alpha too. Don’t you remember? When you were about this tall, you presented as an omega, and he was making a fuss about how he’d become an alpha…”
“Seon-rok. Let’s go now.”
“Huh? Why! Why! I need to tell Young-chun the news!”
Soo-cheol, who had interrupted the conversation, started dragging Seon-rok away by the hand. Even as they were moving away, Seon-rok was busy shouting towards Ji-ho, “Call if you’re interested!”
After they finally left, a sudden silence fell. Ji-ho found himself unconsciously checking Set’s reaction.
But Set’s mood didn’t seem particularly bad. Ji-ho then realized that Set probably didn’t know the sophisticated term “blind date” yet. He was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when…
“Should we start with our meal too? For today’s lunch, let’s have porridge, which we can also give to Shango…”
“Ji-ho.”
“Yes, yes?”
Ji-ho, who had been desperately trying to change the subject, accidentally stuttered when he heard his name called. Set, looking directly at Ji-ho, opened his mouth.
“About that ‘internet’ you told me about before.”
“The… internet?”
“Can I go there too?”
“What? Why suddenly?”
Previously, Ji-ho had mentioned to Set that if they searched the internet, they might find people with heterochromia like Set. At that time, Set had asked what the “internet” was after some time had passed, and Ji-ho had replied like this:
‘It’s a sea of information. In other words, it’s like… a library with all the knowledge in the world?’
But now, why was he suddenly asking about the internet? As Ji-ho looked at Set questioningly, he responded with an expressionless face.
“I want to know what a blind date is.”
